Playlist
by shuichi77
Summary: A series of short songfics inspired by some of my favorite songs. Also accepting requests
1. Prolouge

SO! This is a project that I have wanted to start for a while now and have decided that now is the time!

So, this will be a series of one shots/drabbles that will all be inspired by a song. They won't have any connection to each other and will involve several different parings. I have rated the entire series as M because the stories will most likely range across all ratings but I will give each chapter its appropriate rating at the beginning of each chapter.

I would also really really like for this series to be "take on all comers" challenge. Meaning….Have a song that you would like to inspire a story? Then just send me a message or review with your request and I will write it and add it to the series. If you do have a request please just include the song name and artist and if you any characters or pairings that you would like to see along with it; if you don't have any preference than just say so. ^_^ I will also very happily take requests for a few other fandoms as well. Fandoms I will take requests for besides Loveless: Gravitation, Soul Eater and Death Note.

Well that's about it. I hope you all enjoy this series and I look forward to any challenges. ^_^


	2. To Write Love on His Arms

**Ok! First story in the series! **

**Disclaimer: I don't won Loveless or any of the characters.**

**Rating: T**

**Song: "The Way She Feels" By Between the Trees**

**-X**

"AH! Mom stop it!"

"What have you done with my Ritsuka?! Bring him back to me!"

"Mom I am Ritsuka! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Shut up! You lie!"

Ritsuka then quickly threw his hands in front of his face to shield it from a large glass vase that was now hurdling towards him. He luckily was able to avoid it without injury and it simply fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The distraught woman then finally collapsed to the ground in tears as she usually did after one of these all too regular fits; and as usual, Ritsuka took that as his cue to quietly slip away upstairs to his bedroom. Once he made it safely to his room, the small cat eared boy made sure to lock his door before walking solemnly to his bed. He sat down on the edge of the small twin bed with his head hung low and small tears streaming down his red cheeks.

"Why…why does this happen to me? All I do is hurt everyone around me…Mother, father and Seimei all hate me…Why? What have I done? What is wrong with me? I even hurt the people I care about…I always make Yuiko cry…and I always push Soubi away. Soubi…"

As he vented aloud to himself, all alone in his small room, he quickly found himself thinking only of the tall blonde. He then placed his small hands over his face and began sobbing uncontrollably as he thought of all the times he had caused Soubi pain; all the times that he had yelled at him, all the times he shoved him away, all the times he had gotten hurt because of him. All of these thoughts consumed him and he felt nothing but agony. He wished so desperately for some sort of relief from this pain.

He then slowly lifted his head from his hands, wiping away angry tears as he did, and stood from his bed to walk over to his large dresser. He opened up the top drawer to find dozens of scattered pictures of himself and Soubi. He had hoped that this would bring him relief but it only brought on more tears as he came to the realization that Soubi, being the way he was, would always come to his rescue, always come to protect him even if he would get hurt in the process. Ritsuka then let out a staggered sigh through his sobs and pushed all the pictures aside until he found the small pocket knife that lay at the very bottom of his drawer.

"S-Soubi…you would be better off if you had never met me…everyone would…."

He then gently gripped the small knife and flipped it open. Then with shaky hands and eyes full of tears, he pressed it firmly to the soft skin of his left wrist and slowly but gently dragged it across the skin.

"Ah…"

Ritsuka was a little surprised by the amount of blood dripping from the somewhat shallow cut he had just made but was more surprised at how little it had hurt.

"M-maybe it really is better this way…"

Ritsuka, now full of despair, again placed the knife against his wrist in the spot just above the first cut and this time pressed down much harder as he pulled it along.

"AH!"

This time Ritsuka bit down on his lip at the pain as the knife cut deep and the blood quickly began flowing and trickling down his arm and down to stain the floor in a steady flow. He then began crying hysterically as he finally made up his mind to end the suffering, not only his own but the suffering that he caused to everyone around him. He shifted the knife from one shaky hand to the other and swiftly made another deep cut through the veins on his other wrist before letting the knife slide out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Mother…You won't ever have to see _this_ Ritsuka ever again, I hope that you can finally find closure in this….Yuiko, I won't ever make you cry ever again…"

Ritsuka then collapsed to the floor, the entire room seemed to be spinning and his vision was beginning to blur and get darker. He soon curled up as best he could in attempt to feel comfort one last time despite the fact that he was now laying in an ever growing pool of crimson. He then tried desperately to get out all of his apologies and farewells before everything went completely black.

"S-Soubi…I…I'm sorry I never told you…j-just how much I…l-love you…."

Ritsuka could then feel that it was getting harder and harder and to keep his eyes open and he felt his whole body growing cold. Even though he had hoped for so much more from his life, he took some kind of happiness in the fact that no one would have to suffer on his account any longer. He then closed his eyes and accepted his decision and prepared to embrace the looming darkness.

Out of the cold darkness, Ritsuka suddenly felt a familiar warmth that caused him to slowly open his eyes. When he did however, he was surprised to see that the warmth was not coming from the relief of death but from two strong arms being tightly wrapped around him.

"S-Soubi…?"

"Ritsuka….Why?!"

The boy then gathered the last of his strength to look up at the blonde whose eyes were full of tears, with tear filled eyes of his own.

"I…I don't want to make any one s-suffer anymore…"

"Ritsuka…how can you think that you make anyone suffer? This…." Soubi then gently placed a large hand over Ritsuka's bleeding wrist and began to cry more deeply. "This makes me hurt Ritsuka…this will hurt Yuiko and Yayoi and everyone else that loves you. Ritsuka…you are so special to so many people, you are so special to me…how can you not see that?"

"S-Soubi….I…I'm s-sorry…."

"Shhh Ritsuka…I will absolutely not let you slip away…I will not let you die here."

Soubi then quickly ripped off several pieces of his baby blue shirt and tied them tightly around the cuts on Ritsuka's wrist to try and stop the bleeding. He then pulled the small boy into his lap and lifted his delicate limp arms and placed them so that they were resting high on his shoulders.

"We need to keep your wrists above your heart to stop the bleeding. Please hold on Ritsuka….please…"

This whole time Ritsuka had never taken his eyes off of Soubi's and now as he lay in their in the blondes lap he finally realized that this was what love really was. As he looked up into Soubi's crying eyes, for the first time in his life he felt like someone needed him and he now saw his life as something meaningful through Soubi's eyes. He wanted to live…for himself, for his friends….for Soubi.

"S-Soubi…I promise…I won't go anywhere….I…I love you Soubi"


	3. Loose Lips Sink Ships

**Ok so for the sake of this story, Ritsuka and Soubi are both in High school. Ritsuka is 16 and Soubi is 18.**

**Rating: T**

**Song: "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees. **

**Enjoy! **

**-X**

"Ritsuka...Ritsuuuuka...Ritsuka!"

"Huh? What?" The small black haired boy was finally snapped out of a rather blissful daydream after several attempts by the bubbly pink haired girl seated next to him.

"You were really zoned out there Ritsuka-kun. What are you daydreaming about?" Ritsuka then looked over to her and let out a long sigh before averting his gaze back to the large window of the school cafeteria.

"Nothing..."

"You know...you really aren't a very good liar. You have been like this for weeks, so what is it that you are always thinking about?"

Ritsuka then let out another frustrated sigh knowing that Yuiko would really never let up. He then figured he needed to tell someone anyway; he thought maybe it would make him feel better too. He then whipped his head around in all directions to make sure that nobody else in the large cafeteria was within ear shot.

"Well...I've been thinking about someone...someone I really like."

"Awww really?! Who is it?!" Ritsuka then blushed slightly with his small cat ears pressed back against his head as he leaned in extremely close to Yuiko to make extra sure no one over heard him.

"I really like Agatsuma senpai..." The pink haired girl then let out a loud squeal as she threw her arms around her short friend.

"Ritsuka-kun is so cute! Why don't you tell him that you like him?" Ritsuka then did his best to cover the girls loud mouth before the entire school heard her.

"I can't do that; he is a senior and I'm just a freshman. Besides, I don't even think he likes boys and even if he did, he could have anyone he wanted. He would never even give me a second look."

"Well it would be kind of hard to even get to him through all the girls in his fan club that follow him around constantly, but you are the cutest boy in our whole class. You should at least give it a try." Ritsuka then let out a long depressed sigh and placed his head in his hands in a pout.

"No, I would just be making a fool of myself."

"If you say so Ritsuka-kun..."

The duo then finished up their lunch before the bell rang signaling that it was time to return to class. They both got up from their table and Yuiko gave the boy a consoling hug.

"It'll be ok Ritsuka."

"Yeah...just please don't tell anyone."

"I promise I won't. My lips are sealed."

"Thank you."

With that, the two parted ways and each headed toward their own respective classrooms for the next period. Ritsuka made his way leisurely to his math class, which happened to be his absolute favorite subject and the class he looked forward to the most, while Yuiko headed to her psychology class that she was failing miserably. After three minutes the next bell rang signifying that the current class period had begun right as Ritsuka was taking his usually seat in his classroom. By the time the teacher had begun her lecture for the day, Ritsuka had already found himself lost in his thoughts once again. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his mind off of the tall beautiful blonde that was the well-deserved star of the senior class.

'Man…Agatsuma-san is so cool…and he is so smart…and that smile...'

Somehow through his daydream Ritsuka suddenly felt his face grow warm and he quickly realized that he was blushing wildly. He then did his best to just focus on class and get through the day. After taking a few deep breathes he was finally able to concentrate on the lesson and the rest of the period seemed to go by quickly; before he even knew it the bell was ringing once again to send all the students to their next class. Ritsuka then quickly gathered his things and made his way out of the room in a hurry to meet Yuiko so that they could walk to their next class together as they always did. As he made his way down the crowded hallway a flash of golden blonde hair suddenly caught the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around to stare in awe at the gorgeous Agatsuma Soubi who was walking along in the opposite direction of him, followed closely by the gaggle of senior girls that was always surrounding him. Ritsuka didn't even notice that he had completely stopped walking as the blonde passed by, hoping with all his heart that the blonde would even just look in his direction; but as usual he went completely unnoticed by the tall senior. He then let out a disappointed sigh and continued on his way. As soon as he continued on however, Ritsuka began getting a very strange feeling as if everyone was watching him. He subtly looked all around him as he walked and realized that in fact there were several small groups of students sneaking glances and small giggles at him as he passed by. Ritsuka was completely confounded by this but wasn't given any time to think about it as he almost literally ran into his pink haired friend.

"Hey Ritsuka-kun. Daydreaming again?"

Ritsuka just gave her a small nervous laugh before the two began walking toward their English class that they shared together. They walked together in silence as Ritsuka did his best to try and shake the weird feeling he was getting from everyone around him. He then looked over to Yuiko and found it odd that she was being so quiet; she was normally talking his ear off by now.

"Yuiko…is something wrong." The girl lowered her ears slightly and let out a small sigh.

"Kind of…"

"Well what's the matter?"

"Well…you know those two transfer students in my psychology class?"

"Youji and Natsuo?"

"Yeah."

"What about them?"

"Well today in class I overheard them talking about…Ritsuka-kun having a crush on Agatsuma senpai." Ritsuka's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this and he stopped dead in his tracks in the hallway.

"W-what?" Yuiko then began to panic slightly at the sight of Ritsuka, who looked like he might faint.

"I'm so sorry Ritsuka-kun! They must have overheard you in the lunch room earlier. I'm sure it will be fine though; I don't think they have a whole lot of friends so I don't think they will tell anyone." Ritsuka remained perfectly still and silent in shock as his mind raced with fears.

'This can't be happening! Is that why everyone has been whispering as I pass by?! What if Agatsuma-san finds out?! He and everyone else will probably laugh at me. This is a disaster…' Ritsuka was then forced out of his daze by the feeling of a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Ritsuka…it will be ok." Ritsuka then let out a long sigh before finally moving his legs and continuing to walk to class with Yuiko close in toe.

"I hope you're right."

The rest of the school day seemed to fly by and before Ritsuka knew it the bell was once again ringing to release the students for the day. He and Yuiko both gathered their things and stepped out into the hallway. Once outside the door Ritsuka let out a deep breath.

"I'm glad this day is finally over."

"Me too."

The duo then began walking leisurely toward the large courtyard in front of the school building. All the while Ritsuka did his best to ignore the seemingly growing number of people whispering as they passed by; he tried his hardest to convince himself that they weren't talking about him and that he was just being paranoid. On their way out of the building, they made a stop in one of the hallways at the small locker in which Yuiko kept her things. They stood in the hallway chatting for a few minutes until Ritsuka suddenly saw the object of his affection appear from around the corner behind Yuiko, causing him to stop mid-sentence. This time he wasn't just staring helplessly at the blonde, this time the senior was looking at him. Ritsuka's eyes immediately grew wide and his cheeks began to flush when the blonde gave him a very deliberate glare from over his small round glasses.

"Ritsuka-kun….what's the matter?" Yuiko went unanswered as Ritsuka remained completely frozen. She then turned around to see what had gotten her friend so shaken up. She then saw the blonde begin to walk in their direction so she quickly turned back to Ritsuka and grabbed gently onto one of his arms in a desperate attempt to snap him out of his daze.

"Ritsuka! Snap out of it." She then gave him a small shake that finally got his attention. By the time he came too however, the blonde was already standing right in front of him.

"Hello Aoyagi-kun." The blonde's tone was very cool and he almost didn't have any expression at all. Ritsuka then quickly bowed his head both out of respect to an upper classman and to hide his bright red cheeks.

"H-hello Agatsuma senpai." The blonde then finally showed some emotion as he smiled at the boy in front of him.

"Please, call me Soubi."

"O-ok…Soubi; Oh and uh you can call me Ritsuka….I-if you want."

"Alright then Ritsuka." Soubi then turned his head to smile at the equally stunned pink haired girl that was now standing next to Ritsuka. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh! This is Hawatari Yuiko." Yuiko gave a nervous smile and a slight wave to the tall blonde.

"Nice to meet you Agat…I mean, Soubi." This made Soubi laugh slightly which made the duo in front of him feel even more inferior.

"Nice to meet you as well. Now, Miss Hawatari, would you mind terribly if I had a moment with Ritsuka?" Ritsuka quickly gave Yuiko a glare trying desperately to silently beg her to stay, out of fear of being alone with Soubi. His efforts were fruitless however as she quickly closed her locker, picked up her things and practically ran toward the main entrance of the building.

"Bye Ritsuka-kun! See you tomorrow!" Yuiko waved fervently to her friend as her voice and image trailed off into the distance. Now that he was alone with Soubi, Ritsuka's mind was racing and his heart felt as though it might pound out of his chest.

"So Ritsuka…" Ritsuka swallowed hard and prepared for the worst as the blonde spoke to him with a now very serious face. "I wanted to ask if you would mind accompanying me to my home; there is something I would like to talk to you about." Ritsuka was absolutely terrified by this but was far too stunned to argue.

"Um sure."

"Wonderful." The blonde them gave Ritsuka a warm smile and turned to walk out of the building with the other boy following right by his side.

After leaving the school grounds the two walked side by side in absolute silence and Ritsuka kept his gaze fixed firmly on the ground as he tried to calm his mind. After a relatively short walk, the boys arrived at Soubi's small studio apartment. Ritsuka followed him quietly up to the door and waited patiently while the blonde unlocked it. The blonde then opened the door and quickly entered with Ritsuka still close in toe. Once inside, Soubi took of his shoes and placed them neatly by the door while Ritsuka stood perfectly still in the entry way.

"Please make yourself at home Ritsuka-kun."

"Oh! Thank you." Ritsuka then took his shoes off as well and followed behind Soubi while looking all around the small apartment. It was very conservatively decorated with only a few paintings of butterflies adorning the walls and the living room and kitchen dining area both had minimal furniture. It appeared as though no one else lived there which Ritsuka found to be slightly odd.

"Would you like anything to drink Ritsuka?"

"No thank you."

"Alright then. Please, have a seat." The blonde then motioned to the small couch that sat against the back wall of the living room. Ritsuka did as he was told and sat nervously at one end of the couch while Soubi sat at the other. Once the blonde sat down, Ritsuka started to feel as though he could relax a little; the atmosphere seemed to just feel a little lighter for some reason.

"So Soubi…do you live here by yourself?"

"Yes I do."

"Wow…that must be nice."

"I do rather enjoy it; although it does get lonely sometimes. I don't have very many people that I call friends, so I spend most of my time alone." Ritsuka couldn't believe that Soubi, uncrowned prince of the school, didn't have any friends. The idea actually brought him great sadness; it weighed heavy on his heart to look over and see the face that was smiling at him not so long ago now filled with a subtle sadness.

"R-really? You are so popular at school and everyone really likes you…seems hard to believe that you don't have that many friends."

"If you are referring to that horrid band of girls that follow me everywhere, they are most certainly not my friends; I find them extremely annoying actually." Ritsuka couldn't help but to let out a small giggle at this, picturing in his mind the looks on their faces if they ever knew such a thing.

"I wasn't referring to them; I guess I just assumed that you would have lots of friends. I mean, you are the best student in whole school, you are warm hearted, friendly…" Ritsuka then quickly noticed that he was saying too much and was once again blushing so he tried to save himself as best he could. "Well I mean that's what I've heard anyway…" Soubi then gave a gorgeous smile, unnoticed to Ritsuka, at the sight of the boy blushing and averting his gaze.

"Well there are reasons why I don't have many people close to me." Ritsuka then looked up from the floor with a concerned expression.

"Like what?"

"Rumors mostly."

"Rumors?"

"Yes…about my family, my background, my lifestyle, my love life. It seems as though the less people know about a person, the more they feel the need to talk about them and make their own assumptions, regardless of their validity." There was then a short pause from the blonde before he turned to stare directly into Ritsuka's wide purple eyes. "Which is actually what I wanted to talk to about."

"W-what exactly did you want to talk about…?" Soubi then gave Ritsuka a very serious glare and pressed his blonde ears firmly down against his head.

"How is it you feel about me Ritsuka?" Ritsuka's stomach sank as soon as the words left Soubi's mouth. He was dreading this moment and even though he knew it was coming, he was at a complete loss as to what to say. He was completely torn as to whether to lie or tell the truth out of fear for what Soubi's reaction might be.

"U-um….what do you mean Soubi…" The blonde then intensified his glare making Ritsuka begin to quiver slightly

"Well…I'm sure you know of our transfer students, the Sagan brothers."

"Y-yes."

"Well they are two of my few close acquaintances and they informed me today that…" Ritsuka now feel his heart beat all the way up in his head and he was already expecting the worst. "…You hated me."

"What?!" Ritsuka absolutely couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't even begin to try and figure out how everything went from him just telling Yuiko about his crush, to said crush being told that he hated him. Ritsuka wished with all his heart in that moment that high school wasn't full of so much talk and rumors that always just gets in the way of reality. He was then stirred from his shock when he saw the blonde next to him lower his head with ears now pressed down out to the side and pull his long fluffy tail into his lap, stroking in softly.

"So it's true then?" It absolutely broke Ritsuka's heart to see Soubi this way and he finally took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.

"No, that isn't true." The blonde then looked over at him with sad pleading eyes.

"Then how do you feel about me…?"

"Well…um…" Ritsuka then took another deep breath and relaxed his whole body, finally feeling as though he had nothing to lose in being honest.

"The truth is….I really like you Soubi. Ever since I first saw you I thought you were so beautiful and then I started watching you more every time I saw you in the hallways. I was always hoping just to catch a glimpse of your smile…I really love your smile, it really is addicting. But you are a senior and I am just a freshman…and besides that, I am a boy; so I decided that I was happy just being able to watch you from afar than to risk telling you any of this and having you hate me. I know it's weird and I'm sure you think I'm a freak but…even though I don't really know anything about you…I still really like you Soubi." There was then a small silence while Soubi let all of the boy's confession sink in and while Ritsuka was trying to come to terms with the fact that he had actually just said all that. Finally after a few minutes Ritsuka watched as Soubi scooted a little closer to him on the small couch before looking at him with the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

"Ritsuka…is all this really true." Ritsuka then blushed wildly at this question but this time did not avert his gaze.

"Y-yes. I'm really so-"

Ritsuka's words were abruptly cut off when the blonde took his head delicately in one of his large hands and firmly pressed his lips against his own. Ritsuka's eyes grew wide in shock that this was actually happening but they soon fluttered closed as warm butterflies began to fill his stomach. Once Soubi was sure that the younger boy wasn't going to shove him away, he took his free hand and placed it on the small of Ritsuka's back and pulled the boy much closer so that their torsos were now pressed together. The sudden movement jostled about the already fierce butterflies in Ritsuka's stomach and caused him to open his mouth slightly to moan softly into their kiss. Soubi, being much more experienced, took advantage of this and nimbly slipped his tongue into Ritsuka's mouth, exploring every crevice and reveling in the wonderfully sweet taste. Ritsuka then let out another, slightly louder, moan into the blonde's mouth sending blissful vibrations through their kiss. The two then finally broke away for air and were now staring into each other's bright red faces and panting slightly from the lack of oxygen. After they both caught their breathe, Soubi ran one of his hands through the smaller boys soft jet black hair and the sensation sent shivers down Ritsuka's spine.

"Ritsuka…the truth is that I have liked you ever since the day you started school, but I always saw you with Miss Hawatari…and everyone that I spoke to told me that you two were together, so I took the cowards approach and just did my best to avoid you. But today….when I heard that you hated me…I was so heartbroken; but I knew that I had to find out for myself." Ritsuka was now gazing deeply into those ocean blue eyes and he could only pray that this wasn't a dream.

"Soubi…D-do you really feel that way?"

"I do, with all my heart. We may both be boys and years apart in age, but I don't care about any of that. I hardly know anything about you either and I can't explain it but ever since I first laid eyes on you I knew that…I loved you Ritsuka." Then all of the butterflies within Ritsuka began to flutter and grow until he felt as though he might burst. He then flung his arms around the blonde's neck and captured him a tender passionate kiss before releasing him to once again gaze into those eyes.

"I…love you too Soubi."


	4. Shout to the Lost Boys

**Alrighty! So this one is a little different, it is inspired by two songs. Enjoy!**

**Rating: T**

**Songs: "Warrior" By Ke$ha, and "Bangarang" By Skrillex**

**- - - - - - - - - - - -X**

"_We are Zero. Born to feel no pain…to fight until the end…"_

"Youji! Natsuo!"

Ritsuka quickly jumped up from the table to rush over to the two boys that had just stumbled through the door, covered in cuts and dripping blood onto the hard wood floor of the apartment they shared with Soubi and Ritsuka.

"We are fine. We can't feel it, remember?" The blue haired boy's tone was firm yet agitated as he spoke while holding firmly onto his Sentouki's hand.

"I know! But you can still bleed to death. Sit down, 'll be right back." Both boys did as they were told and sat down at the small kitchen table next to Soubi, who was calmly sipping on a glass of tea, while Ritsuka disappeared into another room.

"Out picking fights again?"

"No! Natsuo and I were provoked this time. We were just defending ourselves, but it was good practice all the same."

"Who was it?"

"Those pesky little brats from the academy, Breathless." Soubi couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the pouting tone and face that Youji was making.

"Well…how did it go then?" The smaller red head then cut in to answer the blonde's question.

"We won of course. They have challenged us eight times now and they haven't won once; they really are hopeless."

"They have potential; their bond is very strong."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

"So if you won, how did you both get so beat up?" Youji then interjected with an irritated tone.

"Well I got cut up from the restraints, they did manage to land a few attacks this time; but Natsuo got attacked by Midori." Soubi paused in slight shock for a moment at this.

"Really? They have never really been the type to be physically violent."

"Yeah well they were going on and on about how strong their bond is and that's what gives them strength and we finally got tired of hearing that crap so Natsuo threw a bottle at Ai. That's what pissed Midori off so bad."

"I see…I'm assuming you two fought back. Are they alright? No nails this time at least?"

"Ha ha very funny Soubi, how many times do we have to apologize for that? They are fine, the bottle missed anyway and it only took one hit for Natsuo to knock Midori out."

"Well it's good to see you two are learning restraint."

"Yeah I guess." Ritsuka then reemerged carrying several rolls of bandages and gauze. He quietly sat down next to Youji and began tending to his wounds first, seeing as they were much worse than Natsuo's and the blue haired boy was already growing increasingly pale from blood loss.

"You know…this is the third time this week that you two have come home like this." Youji gave a small sneer to the boy wrapping up his hands at this comment.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well…I guess I just don't understand you guys sometimes." Youji then lowered his ears slightly so that they were resting down and out to the side of his head, almost blending in with his long hair.

"You wouldn't understand Ritsuka. We can't really help it; we have always been this way, ever since we were little…." Youji's tone then shifted to be uncharacteristically serious. "I think it's because we can't feel the pain. Even when we were kids we used to go out looking for fights or getting in trouble. It's like a fire that burns within every fiber of our being…we love to fight, it's who we are." Ritsuka then finished wrapping the bandages on the last of Youji's wounds and scooted over to be propped up in front of the red head who immediately continued where Youji stopped speaking; Ritsuka always found it amazing just how in tuned the two were to each other, they really could finish each other's sentences if they wanted.

"That's half of it at least…" Ritsuka then looked up from Natsuo's arms where he was placing bandages to look the boy in the face with a genuinely concerned expression.

"What's the other half?" Soubi thought about answering this question for a moment, but decided it was best to let Natsuo continue; he thought it might actually help the boy to say it out loud. The red head let out a long sigh before finally answering.

"Well….lately, we have been starting battles and taking on all challenges because we are preparing." Ritsuka perked his ears up in curiosity at this.

"Preparing for what?"

"To fight the Zero girls." Ritsuka was honestly a little surprised at this. He knew that they were not very happy about losing a battle to them but he had no idea that they took it that hard.

"So you want to challenge them…"

"Yes. We need to beat them. They are the first generation of Zeroes and we are the second so we are supposed to be better than them…but when we first faced them, they made fools of us; they made it seem like just because they are older and the first generation they are better than us. We have even faced them a couple more times since then and still lost every time…" It was now taking all of Ritsuka's focus just to finish bandaging Natsuo up; he had never really heard either one of them open up about things like this so he was happy to get some insight into their feelings.

"So then you have been doing all this to beat them….well do you think you can do it?" Youji then quickly cut in at this.

"We can!" There was then a small pause and Youji once again got very gloomy and serious. "We have to…ever since they came along all they do is try to tear us down. They tell us that we are just delinquents and have no respect for spell battles and that our bond isn't true. But what the hell do they know?! Just because we still have our ears doesn't mean that our bond…our love…is any less than theirs." Soubi then stood from the table and patted Youji gently on the head.

"You are right; your bond to Natsuo is just as strong as any other, if not stronger." Youji seemed to ignore this comment and simply grabbed onto Natsuo's now bandaged hand with his own. "Well it's late, I'm going to bed. Are you coming Ritsuka?" Ritsuka gave an adamant nod before cleaning up the rest of the bandages and following Soubi toward their bedroom. He turned his head back just before they were out of sight to call back to the two boys still seated at the table.

"Try to get some rest you two and don't worry, I'm sure you guys can beat them no problem." Ritsuka then gave a large smile before disappearing into the bedroom.

Once they were alone, Youji and Natsuo decided to turn on the video game that they always played together to try to relax. They both made their way into the living room and turned on the small TV and game console before each of them picked up one of the remote controls. The duo sat quietly playing their game for about fifteen minutes before Youji finally spoke out.

"Natsuo! I told you we have to attack this boss at the same time, he throws those stupid boomerangs and if we only have one life left."

"I know I know!" The red head then let out a frustrated sigh as they started the level over.

About an hour past before the two finally began to feel tired and Youji let out a long yawn that caused Natsuo to do the same. They both then set down their controllers and shut off the game and TV before making up the bed that they slept on in the middle of the living room. Once everything was made up, they quickly crawled underneath the blanket and wrapped each other up in their arms. The dark room was completely silent until Youji whispered to his Sentouki.

"Natsuo…."

"What?"

"Do you think that maybe we are too reckless?"

"No. We only do what comes naturally; everyone else just hides their true natures away out of fear."

"Yeah…how are we going to beat them though? We may be faster but they are stronger and more experienced."

"Youji…since when do you doubt our abilities?"

"I don't know….I just really don't like losing to them, it pisses me off."

"Well…we will beat them. I'm not sure how, but we will. They are obsolete whether they like it or not. Now is our time to shine, we will prove to everyone that we aren't just some little kids livening in their shadow, we will show them that we are the better generation; and with you by my side, we can do anything." Youji couldn't help but to smile at his Sentouki's strength and determination; Natsuo may have been the quieter of the two but when they were alone like this, it was always Natsuo that proved to be the strong one.

"You're right. I love you Natsuo."

"I love you too Youji." With that the two boys, broken and bruised, fell asleep in each other's arms with smiles knowing that the love and bond they shared was unbreakable.

"_We are the lost boys…and we'll never give up."_

The next morning Natsuo woke up before anyone else in the house and was quick to wake his Sacrifice sleeping next to him.

"Youji…wake up."

"Mmmm.." The blue haired boy turned over in defiance but was quickly rolled back over by the red head and given a good shake.

"Wake up already!" Youji finally opened his eyes to give his Sentouki a rather fiery glare.

"Fine! I'm up. What's the big deal?"

"We are going to challenge those stupid girls today." This caused Youji to shoot up to a sitting position in a slight shock, considering that even though they have been practicing hard and have been winning their battles, they still haven't figured out how to beat the first generation Zeroes.

"What are you talking about Natsuo? I refuse to challenge them until we are sure we can win." The red head then gave a small smirk.

"I figured out how we are going to beat them."

"Yeah? And how is that?"

"You know that new spell we have been working on?"

"Yeah, the one that doesn't work."

"Well I finally figured it out. We have been using the wrong syllables."

"Well what is the correct way to go about using that spell then?" The red head then leaned in close to Youji and whispered the answer into his ear to make sure their housemates didn't happen to overhear them. Upon hearing what Natsuo had to say, Youji's eyes quickly filled with excitement and he leaped up from their bed and immediately began rummaging around to find something to wear.

"You really are genius Natsuo. They won't know what hit them!" Natsuo then quickly followed suit and it was only a few minutes before they were both fully dressed and walking out of the front door hand in hand.

"Natsuo, do you know where they are?"

"Well they are creatures of habit and they always go to the park on Thursdays, which is a perfect place to challenge them anyway."

"Right. So you're sure this will work?"

"Not entirely but I want to try. This is the only way to bring them down and prove that we are better…." There was then a small pause before Natsuo stopped to turn and face his Sacrifice. "It's time for a revolution Youji…and we are going to bring it to them. Are you sure are ready? You know that they won't go easy on us and they will probably try to get in our heads." Youji then leaned in to give the red head a quick tender kiss.

"Of course I'm ready. I love you Natsuo and nothing they say or do can change that. We may have messed up before but not this time; I know that all that will change today." Natsuo then gave a determined grin and a nod before they continued on toward the park.

Once they arrived at the park, the Zero girls weren't very hard to find and the boys very casually approached them. Despite the calm approach, as soon as Kouya and Yamato saw them they both jumped to their feet from where they were sitting in the grass.

"Youji…"

"Yamato…"

"Natsuo…"

"Kouya…" All four of them then shared a tense silence as they all exchanged glares before Kouya finally spoke.

"What do you brats want?" Natsuo then turned to his partner with a smirk.

"You want to get straight to the point Youji?" Youji happily returned the sinister grin and gave a firm nod. "Right then…we declare this to be a battle of spells!" Kouya gave a small laugh at this.

"You two must really like getting beat. You sure you want to do this?"

"We already challenged, are you going to accept or not?" This only made Kouya mad and she quickly jumped back and took a wide stance with Yamato standing firmly behind her.

"We Accept! Sentou systems engage!" Natsuo then took a slightly more relaxed stance with Youji right by his side.

"Sentou systems engage!" With that, the large battle radius quickly expanded and the battle had begun.

"_Rip! Tear the enemy to shreds!" _Kouya was the first to attack at lightning speed and her words sent waves of blue light flying towards the small boys.

"_Defense! Nothing can reach us!" _Natsuo's defense came just as quick and a large glowing bubble surrounded them just in time to block the attack. Natsuo then gave another smirk.

"Our turn…._Shatter! Rain destruction upon our enemy!"_ This spell caused all the light posts within the radius to shatter and send shards of glass towards the Zero girls.

"_Deflect! Send away the attack!" _A large shock wave then radiated from the girls that clashed with the shards of glass and sent them flying in all directions before landing harmlessly on the ground. Kouya then relaxed her stance slightly, feeling as though this was an easy battle, which thoroughly pissed off the fiery red head.

"Don't relax just yet…._Absolute Zero! Freeze the enemy to the core!"_ The entire battle radius then began to fill with snow and both teams could see their breath in the now frigid air.

"You really think that is going to work on us? We aren't that stupid! Soubi may have beaten you with that spell but it won't defeat us! _Incinerate! Melt away all this pesky snow and bring back the warmth!" _This caused a large glowing red bubble to surround the girls that quickly turned all the snow into droplets of water that fell to the ground at their feet. Youji and Natsuo then both gave each other another sinister grin before breaking out in hysterical laughter.

"Stupid girls, you actually fell for it!" This actually seemed to fluster Kouya a bit and she began to panic slightly.

"What are you talking about?!"

"_Electrify! Bring the lightning!"_ Kouya had no time to defend and could only watch as Yamato braced herself for the impact of a lightning strike. Kouya was then shocked when the bolt of lightning didn't hit Yamato at all, but instead hit the ground several feet in front of them.

"Ha! You missed!" This caused both boys to laugh even more which in turn caused Kouya to look over to check on her Sacrifice. Her eyes grew wide in shock when she saw the busty blonde that had now acquired not one but two restraints around both of her wrists. She then looked back at the boys with a fierce glare silently demanding an explanation.

"We didn't miss. You turned the snow into water that your sacrifice is now standing in. Water conducts electricity so by hitting the water…we landed double damage." Kouya clenched her fists in anger at this; even though she knew Yamato wasn't in any pain, it pissed her off to even think about losing to the Zero boys.

"You damn brats! _Demolish! Completely flatten the enemy!"_ This sent out a massive shockwave that raced quickly toward the boys.

"_Solidify! Strengthen all defenses!" _Natsuo's words weren't quick enough and the attack easily broke through their previous defenses and the attack landed hard on the blue haired boy. Natsuo looked to his side to see that Youji now had a thick restraint around his neck with small trickles of blood running from underneath it and two restraints around his wrists.

"Youji! Can you breathe ok?" Youji was having a slightly hard time breathing with the collar clamped tightly around his neck but was able to calm himself enough to ease the pressure.

"Yeah…I'm fine. Do it now Natsuo!" The red head gave a happy smile at this and was very pleased to follow this order. He then turned to the girls in front of him and gave a sinister smile.

"You old hags have done it now…you won't be winning this time."

"Bring it on brat!"

"If you say so…" Natsuo then closed his eyes and slowly raised one of his hands and pointed out his index and middle finger toward the girls with his thumb pointed straight up in the air, imitating a gun. He stayed like that for a short moment, thoroughly confusing the two girls, before his eyes finally shot open as he pressed his thumb down as if firing his imaginary gun.

"_BANGARANG!"_

"W-what?!" Kouya then watched on in horror as an immense beam of light came shooting from the boy's fingers. Before Kouya could even utter a single syllable in defense, the beam of light struck Yamato right in the stomach and passed all the way through her causing her to immediately collapse to the ground coughing up blood, now in a full body restraint.

"Yamato!" Kouya then quickly rushed over to her Sacrifice and stood protectively over her limp body. She then looked around and became even more confused when she saw that the battle radius hadn't collapsed even though her Sacrifice was fully restrained. "W-what's going on?!"

"We aren't done yet." Kouya then began to shake in fear at what this could mean. Natsuo then began to laugh once again, both at the sight of the flustered girl and at the sight of what was behind her. "Here it comes!"

"W-what?!" Kouya then whipped around and was terrified to see that the same beam of light that had just decimated her Sacrifice was now racing towards her. She was completely helpless and couldn't even jump out of the way before the beam violently struck her in the stomach before disappearing. She then found herself completely restrained on the ground next to Yamato.

"Victory!" With that last word from the red head, the battle radius finally collapsed and all the restraints faded away from both teams. Once the radius collapsed, Youji brushed himself off and clasped his hand tightly to Natsuo's before they both walked over to the two girls that were now sitting in the ground panting heavily and still coughing up bits of blood. The boys then looked down condescendingly at the girls with huge grins on their faces.

"We told you the last time we battled that when we battled again we wouldn't go easy on you." Youji's tone was a very conceded and satisfied one. Kouya then looked up at him with fiery eyes.

"Cut the bullshit! Where did you learn that?!"

"None of your business."

"You two are still just a couple of brats with ears! You still don't understand what a true bond is!" This infuriated Youji and he quickly gripped onto the collar of Kouya's shirt and pulled her up off the ground slightly to speak to her face to face.

"We understand more than anyone what it means to be truly bonded to your partner…and if you ever say some shit like that again, we will make sure that you don't walk away from the next battle." He then dropped the girl onto the ground and she simply stared up at him with an angry scowl.

"Fine! Just get lost already. You won and I'm sure Nagisa won't ever let us live it down either. So can't you just be satisfied with that." The two boys then gave each other warm smiles.

"Yeah, we can."

Youji and Natsuo then turned and began their walk home hand in hand, leaving the girls to collect themselves alone in the park. As they walked, they couldn't stop smiling and couldn't have been happier. They had finally proven to themselves that weren't just 'those bad kids', they truly were the better generation, they were true warriors, and now the Zero girls would have to respect them. They may have been bloody and bruised once again and Ritsuka would surely give them an earful once they arrived home, but none of that could break their spirits today…or ever again.

"_We are Zero…the lost boys…this is who we have always been…this is who we will always be."_


	5. Heaven's Plan

**Alright here we go again! **

**Rating: K-T**

**Song: "Don't You Worry Child" By Swedish House Mafia**

**Enjoy!**

**-Shuichi77**

Soubi awoke suddenly from his place in his large king sized bed upon the realization of an absence of warmth. He sat up and looked over to see that the young cat eared boy that had been sleeping next him was in fact no longer there. He then glanced at the clock on the nightstand to see that it was just after two o'clock in the morning. Filled with worry, he sprang from the bed still wearing his usual tight black jeans and quickly grabbed a shirt from his closet. He slipped the shirt on as he headed out the front door of the apartment, ready to begin his search for the missing boy. He did his best to quell his worry enough to think logically and think of where Ritsuka could have gone. He immediately ruled out his mother's home, knowing that Ritsuka now avoided that place at all costs. He then decided that the park was a good place to start so he began walking in that direction. As he walked, he couldn't help but let his mind fill with worry. It had been several months since Ritsuka had officially moved into his apartment and this hadn't been the first time since that he had woken up to find the boy missing. Up until this night however, Soubi usually found the boy asleep on the couch, the floor or even the roof on a few occasions. Soubi had been trying for weeks to get the boy to open up as to what was bothering him and affecting his sleeping habits but whenever he asked, he was always met with a cold indifference.

It wasn't long before Soubi reached the park where he had shared that very first fateful kiss with the boy he had come to love so much. Upon arriving, he began searching every inch of the small park; everywhere from the picnic area to the playground. Soubi's worry quickly began to grow when Ritsuka was nowhere to be found at the park; nevertheless he pressed on and began walking along the quiet road that lead away from the park. As he walked the road he took great care to look all around him for any sign of the boy and was slightly thankful that the moon was bright and full, aiding him greatly in his search. As Soubi came near to the small bridge in the road he looked up to the moon and gave a long sigh in frustration. He then thought that something had flickered in the moonlight and he quickly looked back toward the moon. This time he looked harder and there atop the large hill that looked over the crystal blue lake, he saw only a small pair of ears silhouetted in the moonlight. He then let out a long sigh of relief knowing that it had to be Ritsuka. Soubi did his best to calm his pounding heart as he quietly left the road and climbed the hill and as he drew closer he could make out the whole sight. He could now clearly see that Ritsuka was sitting on the very top of the hill with his knees pulled up to his chest and his unblinking gaze fixed upon the still water. He continued climbing slowly, not wanting to startle Ritsuka, until he was standing right behind the boy.

"So this is where you have been hiding." Ritsuka quickly spun his head around upon hearing the blonde's cool soft voice.

"S-Soubi? What are you doing here?" Soubi gave a small warm smile at this.

"I came to find you of course." Ritsuka couldn't help but to blush slightly at this gesture.

"Oh…I'm sorry…if I made you worry."

"No need for apologies, I always worry." Soubi then gave another smile before moving to sit down beside Ritsuka, mimicking his position exactly with the only exception being that Soubi pulled his knees not quite to his chest and had them spread slightly farther apart in a more relaxed state with his elbows resting on his knees. They both sat in silence for a few moments gazing out onto the water until Ritsuka suddenly started to speak in a quiet solemn voice.

"I still remember it exactly….like it was yesterday." Ritsuka spoke without his gaze ever leaving the water while Soubi turned to face him once he spoke. Soubi was slightly conflicted as to whether he should dig farther or not but eventually decided that it was worth a try.

"And what is it that?"

"That day…the day that everything changed…" There was a small pause from the boy but Soubi remained silent, wanting him to speak at his own pace.

"It happened right here, where we are sitting. I was only six but I remember it all so clearly. It was just before sunset and I had run away from home. Mother and father had been fighting and Seimei was off at camp, so I was all alone. This was the only place I wanted to come; I've always liked looking at the water when I'm upset, even back then. I came here and just stared at the water lapping onto the shore; I sat here for what felt like hours but it must have only been an hour or so. Then right as the sun was setting, I felt a large hand on the top of my head. I turned around and saw my father standing behind me. I looked up at him with a smile, thinking that he had come to bring me home, but his face was full of sadness. Then he crouched down to be face to face with me and he ruffled my hair with his hand like he always used to. Then he said to me…'Son, I'm going away for a while.' I didn't understand what he meant of course and I asked him where he was going and when he would come back. He said 'I'm going somewhere far away and I am not sure as to when I will return.' Then I saw a tear fall down his cheek, which was the only time I ever saw him cry. That's when I started to get scared and I started to cry. He then stood up and I panicked and stood and latched onto his legs while I cried. I said 'Please don't go daddy. Did I do something to upset you? I promise I'll never run away again, I'm sorry.' Then he smiled a kind of sad smile and pulled my face from his waist and wiped the tears from my eyes. Then he looked me in the eye and said, 'Don't worry my little Ritsuka, big brother will always protect you.'" There was then another short pause before Ritsuka finally turned his gaze from the water to look at Soubi, now with small tears filling his eyes.

"I didn't want him to leave though… I told him that I wanted him to stay and protect me. Then he got down on one knee to look me straight in the face with that sad smile and he said, 'My son, my dear Ritsuka, I know you don't understand it now but someday you will learn that everything in this world happens for a reason. It may be painful now but in time you will see that destiny has a plan for you, a great plan and everything in your life is just another step on your path of destiny.' At that point all I could do was cry more, I knew deep down right then that he wouldn't be coming back. He then held me close and let me cry on his shoulder until I couldn't cry anymore. Then he pulled me away and wiped the tears form my eyes again and said 'You are a strong boy Ritsuka, stronger than I am in fact, and now you have to look after mommy. Just remember that I'll always love you Ritsuka.' Then…he got up and walked away. That was the last time I ever saw him….that was the very first time my heart was broken." Soubi was in a complete daze as all of this sunk in. Ritsuka had never opened up to him like this and even Seimei never really knew exactly what happened to their father. He had no idea what he could even do or say but he stumbled through the words the best he could.

"Ritsuka…I…never knew. Is this what has been causing you so much trouble sleeping?" Ritsuka then wiped the few small tears from his eyes before replying.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I keep dreaming about that day."

"I'm sorry that you had to endure that…" Soubi was then slightly surprised when he saw a small smile cross the boy's face.

"I'm not sorry." Soubi was genuinely perplexed by this.

"What do you mean?"

"Well that night…after he left, I couldn't bring myself to go home right away so I stayed here on this hill. I looked up into the night sky as I cried some more then all of a sudden I saw a shooting star and I quickly made a wish."

"And what did you wish for?"

"Well I thought about wishing for father not to leave but…I didn't want to make him unhappy. I thought if he really needed to leave us then it must have been important so I couldn't do that to him. So I closed my eyes and I wished for the heavens to send me someone special. Someone that understood me, that cared about me, that would protect me forever, that would never leave my side; someone that I could love and would love me…like mother loved father. Then the weeks, months and years went by and for so long I was secretly angry that my wish never came true. Then when Seimei died, I cursed the gods for taking away the only thing precious to me. Then one night after Seimei died…I was looking at the stars and I asked why, why wasn't my wish granted? What did I do to deserve all of this? Then the next day…." Ritsuka then paused once again and turned his face away from Soubi slightly, but not before Soubi noticed that Ritsuka had gone bright red. "…You showed up at school. At first I really was confused and angered by you. But since I've been remembering that day…I've realized that…my wish was granted. The heavens did hear all my prayers and they sent me you. So if it hadn't been for father leaving, I would have never been sitting there and I would have never made that wish….I might not have ever been saved by you."

Soubi almost couldn't believe what he was now hearing. The boy that he had grown to love, that he always thought resented him, was now saying such things about him. Soubi then gave a wide grin and swiftly but gently pulled the boy by his arm, pulling him close and embracing him tightly, and captured his soft lips in a deep kiss; and for the first time Ritsuka didn't push him away but instead passionately kissed him back. Soubi then quickly stood from his place and in one swift movement picked the boy up, cradling him in his arms.

"Ritsuka…I will never leave your side. I will protect you from the world. As long as I am alive, nothing will ever hurt you. I love you Ritsuka." Ritsuka then blushed wildly and fought the urge to hide his face in Soubi's chest. He then looked up deeply into Soubi's eyes.

"I…I love you too Soubi."


End file.
